Ways to Make Your Home Stylish and Dog Friendly

You strive to make your home a warm and inviting place for everyone in the family. For many of us that includes those of the wet nose, four-footed persuasion. Dogs give us so much love and expect very little in return.

When you think about it most of your dog’s world revolves around you and the confines of your house and yard. As a responsible pet parent you want to return the love and provide an environment that makes them happy. A dog-friendly home means comfort for them and you.

We'll show you how to create a wonderful and safe place for your fur baby without sacrificing your personal decorating style.

Use Dog-Proof Fabrics

Certain fabrics just don’t belong in a dog household. Fabrics such as velvet or chenille attract dog hair like a magnet. Even some cottons are no match for muddy paws.

If you prefer textural fabrics try an upholstery color that matches your dog’s hair. Let your dog be the color inspiration for your room. While it may sound crazy, you won’t be as obsessed to vacuum every day if the dog's hair blends with your furniture.

Furniture manufacturers have introduced new dog-friendly performance fabrics designed to resist stains, odors and bacteria. However, if you want to keep your current sofa or chair purchase a ready-made slipcover. When Fido makes a mess simply toss the cover into the washer.

Microfiber is a tough, synthetic that is perfect for pets. Spot cleaning is a breeze and it holds up to stronger upholstery cleaners. It takes a lot of wear and tear to fade or discolor. Another option is weathered leather. Wipe minor stains with a mild soap solution and give it a quick vacuum to pick up dog hair.

Get your best friend a leather chair. | Source

Install Durable Flooring

If you have dogs and carpeted floors you know this is not a happy combination. Dog hair and dander accumulate in the fibers and no matter how often you vacuum you just can’t get it all out. For this reason non-carpeted surfaces are your best bet.

Hardwood floors are gorgeous but they may take a beating if you have large dogs. If you want the look of wood choose a durable laminate or new generation of vinyl cork that gives you the look of wood that lasts for years. Both are easy to clean up and require no sealers.

Other excellent non-porous flooring choices are ceramic tile and stained concrete. These tough-as-nail surfaces are beautiful, claw-proof and provide nice cool place for a dog nap during the summer. One word of caution: seal tile grout and stained concrete to prevent permanent stains.

Create a Dog Mudroom

Your house probably has a mudroom so why not give your best pal a place to stop and clean up before tracking water and dirt into the house? Create a pet clean-up area in your existing mudroom or make space just inside the front or back door.

Tile the floor and lower portion of the walls to protect surfaces from splatters after a walk in the rain or snow. Include a bench with a stain-resistant fabric cushion. Shelves, wall hooks and under bench bins are perfect storage for leashes, treats and towels.

How about a mudroom for pets and people? | Source

Make a Feeding Station

In most homes your dog probably eats in a high traffic area. Maybe it's time to rethink this arrangement and give your best friend a exclusive place to dine.

For a simpler solution find a quiet spot in the kitchen for an elevated feeder placed on a rubber mat. Above the feeding area install ready-made shelving or a cabinet to hold food and accessories.

Design an integrated feeding station in the kitchen. | Source

Choose the Perfect Dog Bed

Deep down in their primordial DNA, dogs are den dwellers. They need to retreat when tired, anxious or stressed. Dog beds provide a safe space and play a big role in your pet's health and comfort. Choose the best bed you can afford within your budget.

If your dog has house training issues consider purchasing an indoor crate. They offer your dog a quiet sanctuary away from the chaos of family life. Crates also work well to reduce separation anxiety symptoms.

A selection of memory foam dog beds. | Source

Purchase Clean Toys and Chews

Your dog probably loves bones, rawhide sticks and pig's ears. Just because they love them it doesn’t mean they're good for your dog or house. These messy chew treats leave stains on rugs and furniture and can also cause big digestive problems.

Purchase non-toxic chew toys for your dog made from rubber in fun shapes or woven tug-of-war ropes. Check out any pet store and you’ll find hundreds of safe and clean toys to choose from—even for the most aggressive chewers.

Create a Dog Safe Environment

As you would create a child safe environment for an active toddler you should do the same for your dog. Do a walk through jotting down any potential dangers. Place protective covers on electrical cables and cords. Install childproof door locks on lower cabinets to keep your dog away from cleaning products and other toxic items.

If you've created a designated dog zone make sure it's dog proof. Remove small items that could become choking hazards. Use overhead lighting rather than table or floor lamps. They can easily be knocked over creating a fire hazard. Include a doggie cam to check up on your friend while you’re at work. In the case of senior pets install non-skid flooring and provide comfortable, accessible bedding.

Additional Dog Safety Tips for the Home

1. Keep toilet lids down to prevent them from drinking harmful chemicals.

2. Move houseplants out of reach and make sure they are not toxic to pets.

3. Place lotions, medicines and cosmetics in upper cabinets.

4. Block any tight spaces around furniture and appliances that could cause your dog to become trapped.

Start a Conversation!

No HTML is allowed in comments, but URLs will be hyperlinked. Comments are not for promoting your articles or other sites.

sending

AUTHOR

Linda Chechar

5 months agofrom Arizona

Dan, good luck with your new furry family member! Glad you like these dog-friendly ideas. Hopefully you can incorporate a few into your home.

Dan

5 months ago

These ideas are amazing for my recently adopted rescue pet. She absolutely loves her bed! I'm now working to make my home pet (and human) friendly. Thanks so much!

AUTHOR

Linda Chechar

5 years agofrom Arizona

Dr. Mark, you're absolutely right. Dogs just love being part of the family proceedings. It's part of their "job" to survey all that goes on. Supo loves to sleep on the arms and back cushions of the sofa. That gives her the perfect vantage point to take in everything! We wouldn't have it any other way. Thanks for visiting and commenting. Have a great week! :)

Dr Mark

5 years agofrom The Atlantic Rain Forest, Brazil

Some cool ideas. My dog makes my life better so she deserves anything I do for her.

Oh, by the way, Supo looks like she wouldn´t give up that couch for the world! I think the sad part about many households nowadays is that they do not let the dog just hang out with the family. My Maltese (RIP) loved laying on the back of our leather couch, right in the middle of the traffic from the kids.

AUTHOR

Linda Chechar

6 years agofrom Arizona

Leah, laminate flooring is the greatest for pet owners. Just go for a lighter color wood tone since your dog has light color fur. We made the mistake of doing an espresso color in our last house -- boy, we could really see the off-white dog hair! Good new is, running a dry Swiffer over the floor every other day kept it down to a minimum. Thanks for reading and commenting!

Leah Lefler

6 years agofrom Western New York

I hate the carpet in our house. We have a wonderful, beautiful, happy Golden Retriever... with very muddy paws. We're not in a position to replace the carpet at the moment, but the instant we have some extra cash- it is going toward laminate flooring!

Teaches, I've never had a proper spot for doggie cleaning, It sure would come in handy after walking through the muck during or after a rain. A dog mudroom is definitely on my wishlist. I had so much fun picking the photos for this Hub. I just had to give my fur baby the top billing! :)

Dianna Mendez

6 years ago

I do not presently have a dog, but when I do get another one I am considering a mud room. This is a great idea! When we had our collie we had mud and dirt all over our back entry way as he entered. This is a good solution to it. Love the dogs posted here, so sweet.

AUTHOR

Linda Chechar

6 years agofrom Arizona

Thanks, Om! Since dogs are part of our families, I just thought it made sense to do a Hub about incorporating their needs into home design. I currently live in a dinky apartment, but when we have more room, I'll certainly designate up a "clean up area" just inside the front or back door. So glad you enjoyed this one! :)

Om Paramapoonya

6 years ago

Very creative topic! Thanks for these nifty suggestions, Linda. I like the idea of a dog mudroom. Seriously, I wish I had read a useful article like this years ago when I had my first dog. I don't own a dog right now but would love to adopt one when we move into a new place.

AUTHOR

Linda Chechar

6 years agofrom Arizona

I know, Russ, mine would just tear it up! :) Glad you enjoyed this canine-centric Hub!

Russ Moran - The Write Stuff

6 years agofrom Long Island, New York

I'd share this with my Shih-Tzu but she would just walk on it. Very useful advice for dog owners/lovers like us.

Connect with us

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, dengarden.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

This is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)

Google AdSense Host API

This service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

This is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

Facebook Login

You can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

Maven

This supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)

We may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.

Conversion Tracking Pixels

We may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.

Statistics

Author Google Analytics

This is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)

Comscore

ComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)

Amazon Tracking Pixel

Some articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)